The image forming apparatuses of this type have come to include a larger number of parts inside a limited space, owing to an increase in number of functions and reduction in size. Therefore, there is a demand for a technique to efficiently cool the inner space of the apparatus.
For example, Patent Literature (PTL) 1 discloses an apparatus including a main duct horizontally extending above a plurality of toner containers, a container cooling fan provided on the suction side of the main duct, and a sub duct connected to the main duct and extending upward. The container cooling fan blows air into the main duct so as to cool the toner containers with the air flowing through the main duct, and the air is conducted to the sub duct from the main duct thus to be discharged upward. The air blown out of the sub duct is used to cool a recording sheet heated in a fixing device and passing above the sub duct.
PTL 1 also discloses another apparatus further including, in addition to the main duct, the sub duct, and the container cooling fan, a second duct extending parallel to the main duct, and an IH cooling fan provided between the second duct and the fixing device. The container cooling fan blows air into the second duct, and the IH cooling fan blows the air conducted through the second duct to an IH coil of the fixing device, thus to cool the IH coil.